Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ailing.) criticized President-elect Trump’s nomination of Fox Information host Pete Hegseth as Protection secretary, after he referred to as for ladies to not serve in fight roles.
“Where do you think I lost my legs?” Duckworth informed CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in an interview Wednesday.
Duckworth, an Iraq battle veteran and Purple Coronary heart recipient, was amongst among the first girls to fly fight missions as a U.S. Military helicopter pilot. Her helicopter was hit by a grenade in 2004 and he or she misplaced each legs and a few mobility in her proper arm.
Hegseth, who Trump tapped Tuesday to lead his Division of Protection, can be an Military veteran that served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and now serves as co-host of Fox Information’s “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
He has referred to as for the firing of different generals concerned in variety, fairness and inclusion efforts and mentioned girls shouldn’t serve in fight roles.
“Look, he’s not qualified to serve as Secretary of Defense, and obviously, he’s made these comments about how he doesn’t think women should be in combat and that he wants to be able to fire the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” Duckworth mentioned in Wednesday’s interview highlighted by Mediaite. “I ask him, how does that strengthen our nation’s military?”
“We can’t go to war today without our women military members,” she mentioned, noting there are greater than 225,000 active-duty girls serving within the navy proper now.
Trump is forging forward along with his dramatic shake-up of the navy, whilst considerations develop over what Hegseth will convey to the administration. His proposals for the Pentagon embrace guarantees to slash spending, skinny high ranks and roll again efforts to make the navy extra inclusive to transgender and girls troopers.